EMIGRATION.
8. Emigration during the year has been largely on the increase, 20,300 Chinese having left this Port in 1881 in excess of the number leaving Hongkong the previous year.
It is a strange commentary on the recent Convention, entered into between the United States of America and China for the purpose of checking emigration, to find that 14,127 more Chinese have been introduced into those States than landed there in 1880, and Chinese are still going over in large numbers, for the purpose of constructing new Railroads. The Chinese on arrival get high wages and the protection of the law, and their condition in America is far superior to what they experience in their native country.
9. The Australian Governments have adopted a more practical means of putting a stop to the Immigration of Chinese into those Colonies, by laws which in their effect almost completely prohibit a Chinaman from seeking his living on that Continent. How far this prohibition is in accordance with the existing Treaties with China, and the expediency of shutting out the most sober and industrious race in the world from a Continent wanting labourers, are not matters for discussion in this report.
10. The Northern Territory of South Australia still admits Chinese, but the inducement to go there does not seem to be very encouraging, as only 172 left for Port Darwin in 1881, while 2,268 left for that Port in 1880.
There is a large and increasing emigration to the Straits Settlements, there being an excess of 5,400 over the number leaving Hongkong the previous year. Employment is found for them, not alone in the Straits Settlements, but in the Malay States, and in the neighbouring Island of Sumatra.
11. The following tables will show the number of emigrants that have passed through this Office between the years 1872 and 1881, inclusive, together with the Countries to which they proceeded; also the number of Chinese returned to the Colony during the same period:-
NUMBERS OUT.
COUNTRIES PROCEEDED TO.
1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. TOTAL IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
British Columbia, British Guiana, ... 506 506
Calcutta, 15 240 240 15
California, U.S.A. 9,147 16,640 15,988 19,168 14,034 9,552 6,340 6,811 6,235 19,339 123,264
New South Wales, 40 507 261 312 775 2,142 793 2,082 3,643 10,555
New Zealand, 178 560 766 478 48 121 345 135 7 2,638
Oregon, U.S.A. 1,215 994 545 580 915 1,083 1,764 2,208 1,021 2,044 12,369
Philippine Islands, 952 2,447 2,658 1,284 2,714 774 277 235 216 11,557
Queensland, 220 532 8,618 6,732 6,530 64 81 84 86 22,947
Sandwich Islands, 111 1,118 1,102 2,331 1 4,663
Siam, 786 344 1,044 2,337 3,200 4,259 3,989 4,374 6,305 6,635 33,278
South Australia, 97 97
Straits Settlements, 9,790 7,743 9,623 15,158 16,254 15,029 1,812 1,771 2,268 172 20,630 16,421 6,120 31,145 36,545 178,338
Sumatra, 156 156
Vancouver's Island, 1 1
Victoria, 155 661 265 355 282 435 1,151 203 142 206 144 429 418 526 448 3,149 2,671
West Indies, 322 322
TOTAL, 22,443 28,768 31,866 18,152 46,350 39,741 38,653 33,529 50,324 70,625 410,451
NUMBERS IN.
TOTAL ARRIVED FROM COUNTRIES.
1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
California, U.S.A. 3,721 5,724 7,454 5,503 6,871 7,180 6,611 6,800 7,135 7,939 64,388
Cuba, 58 58
New Zealand, 404 557 371 673 190 365 297 903 634 790 5,190
Oregon, U.S.A. 190 284 322 233 136 145 60 84 182 81 1,717
Peru, 538 231 459 394 834 330 858 514 4,488
Philippine Islands, 68 92 40 172 151 523 1,046
Queensland, 1,222 3,236 3,438 3,694 4,811 14,547 13,452 19,117 23,886 25,972 30,088 29,775 32,775 38,901 36,950 259,963
Sandwich Islands, 30 30
Siam, 46 127 345 405 229 814 2,824 4,790
South Australia, 2 2
Straits Settlements, 4,960 4,437 5,173 4,937 3,272 2,346 2,667 2,458 795 820 688 688 10,996
Victoria, 111 101 107 437 835 1,621 1,475 2,802 2,537 2,977 3,197 4,016 21,780
West Indies, 23 401 690 883 1,997 4,994
TOTAL, 23,778 25,355 32,319 38,502 42,390 48,746 47,882 50,542 51,011 52,983 413,503